Relationships and Sexual Health

Fertility and Pregnancy

Fertility

If you are diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age, you may have questions about having children in the future. Some treatments can affect fertility (temporarily or permanently) but there are ways to protect it. Talk to your healthcare team as early as possible if fertility is a concern.

How Treatment Affects Fertility

Some treatments are more likely to impact fertility than others:

• Chemotherapy can damage the ovaries and reduce the number of healthy eggs, which may lead to temporary or permanent infertility or early menopause. The impact depends on your age, the type of chemo, and the dose. Fertility is more likely to return if you are under 30.
• Hormonal therapy can stop periods and prevent ovulation while you're on it, often for 5 to 10 years.
• Radiation to the breast usually does not affect fertility, since it does not target reproductive organs.
• Targeted therapies may affect fertility, but long-term effects are still unclear.

Some people choose to pause hormonal treatment to try to get pregnant. This should always be done with support from your cancer care team.

Fertility Preservation Options

If you hope to have children after treatment, there are steps you can take beforehand:

• Egg or embryo freezing: Eggs are collected and frozen, either on their own or as embryos (fertilized with sperm), through in vitro fertilization (IVF). The process takes about two weeks.
• Ovarian suppression: Medications like Lupron or Zoladex temporarily shut down your ovaries during chemo, which may help protect eggs.
• Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT): If you carry a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation, PGT can be used during IVF to identify embryos without the mutation.

These services are not always covered by public health plans, so ask about costs. Programs like Fertile Future and its Power of Hope fund offer information and financial support.

If You Are Pregnant When Diagnosed

If you are diagnosed while pregnant, treatment is still possible. Some options, like certain types of chemotherapy, can be safe during pregnancy. Others may need to wait until after your baby is born. Your care team will work with you to find the safest plan.

Breastfeeding and Diagnosis

If you are breastfeeding and notice changes in your breast (like a lump) it is important to speak up. These changes can sometimes be mistaken for common issues like mastitis, but it is always worth checking out. Do not hesitate to ask for imaging or a biopsy if something doe snot feel right.

If you are diagnosed while breastfeeding, some treatments might wait until after weaning, but not always. Once treatment begins, especially chemotherapy or surgery, you will likely need to stop breastfeeding. Your care team can help guide this process and support you through it.

The Canadian Cancer Society has a database that can be used to find local support services in your area. You can access it below:

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